"Youth is wasted on the young...." what is this supposed to mean? (wisdom, cost)

[avant-garde]

I asked this question on Yahoo Answers and got a wide variety of answers lol.

I've really wanted to ask the elderly what this quote means to them, and how they would have done something (in a practical sense) if they had this knowledge when they were younger.

I'm utterly confused at the moment

[stycotl]

Originally Posted by avant-garde

I asked this question on Yahoo Answers and got a wide variety of answers lol.

I've really wanted to ask the elderly what this quote means to them, and how they would have done something (in a practical sense) if they had this knowledge when they were younger.

I'm utterly confused at the moment

you answered your own question.

all in all, i think i was actually pretty decent as a youth as far as maturity (for a male, anyway) and intelligence go.

but if i could go back and do things over with the knowledge and maturity that i have now, i'd own the world.

[Memphis1979]

Ever hear the song, "I wish that, I knew what I know now, when I was younger"

Its because youths seem to make the same stupid mistakes we all make when we are young. If they would listen to their elders, and learn from their mistakes, things would be so much better. Alas, its human nature not to believe what you are told, and have to do them yourselves.

[fractured_kidult]

Originally Posted by Memphis1979

Ever hear the song, "I wish that, I knew what I know now, when I was younger"

Its because youths seem to make the same stupid mistakes we all make when we are young. If they would listen to their elders, and learn from their mistakes, things would be so much better. Alas, its human nature not to believe what you are told, and have to do them yourselves.

Yes, it is human nature to go against what you are told. But not in this case, The reason young people make the same mistakes as their elders is because we as human need to discover things for ourselves, if we just took the word of our elders, some amazing things could be missed out on. Everyone experiences everything in a different way, even the simplest things, like eating an apple, or taking a shower.

[Zekester]

I've always taken it to mean that by the time that you are truly wise, understand perfectly how the world works, and have a firm appreciation for what is really important in life you are usually old enough to be suffering from the effects of advancing age: aches and pains, tired all the time, memory getting spotty...etc

The idea being that if you could have all that wisdom and a young, vibrant and robust body the sky would be the limit.

It's nature's cruelest joke.

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by avant-garde

I asked this question on Yahoo Answers and got a wide variety of answers lol.

I've really wanted to ask the elderly what this quote means to them, and how they would have done something (in a practical sense) if they had this knowledge when they were younger.

I'm utterly confused at the moment

I'm running up on 50 now. Grown kids, love my work & my wife, and life is great. But part of me kind of wishes I was 20 again - but with the knowledge and wisdom(?) I now have - because then I'd get another 30 years to enjoy it. Also, my body wouldn't ache when I get out of bed in the morning.


That saying, though, also has to do with the fact that "youth" tend to have a lot of ideas and sometimes book smarts, but not much "real world" wisdom. And knowledge that is not connected to reality tends to do nothing but make a person arrogant.

[Mightyqueen801]

At 51, I'm not yet taking on the "elderly" label, but I've thought of that saying recently and how true it is. Besides the physical strength/beauty/energy of youth, there are also the factors of time and freedom to use your years well, and you don't realize how valuable that is until you are in a position to know that your life is more than half over. The idiocy of making bad choices for stupid reasons is another factor that is easier to see from the vantage point of this age.

The Pennsylvania Dutch have the saying "We are too soon old and too late schmart."

[jtur88]

It means the physical strength and good health and stamina occur during years when there is no maturity or wisdom or knowledge to make good use of it, and vice versa. How complicated is that to understand?

[Sandpointian]

I just want to commend the posters on being so very thoughtful and generous with your answers to the young person's query.

I'd like to add that despite the wisdom and maturity that comes with age, certain windows that were wide open 25 years ago are now shut or at least extremely difficult to open. There is also the realization of the cost of not accessing those window. Finally, there is the physical nature of aging, which limits engagement in activities that were inaccessible to you as a youth (due to $$ or time).

As one poster said, it is one of nature's cruelest jokes.

S.

[Bluesmama]

Youthful good looks and "all that energy" usually work well at "bailing out" the young ones who may not have much else going for them. Then we get older, wiser, know more about ourselves than what we see in the mirror ~ all earned as our bodies, uh. . . change (although I've known a few people who looked better with age).

It may be a difficult one for the OP to grasp ~ until he/she "gets up there".